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Risk Factors

Croup occurs most often in children between age 6 months and 3 years. This is because young children have a smaller airway. Airways become wider as children grow. This decreases the chance of croup in older children and adults.

Laryngoscopy
—a thin tube inserted into your mouth to look at throat tissue. A sample of mucus from your wind pipe may be taken. It will be tested for infection.

Treatment

The goal is to keep your airway open until the infection clears. The infection causing croup will resolve on its own in 5-7 days. Severe symptoms usually resolve in 3-4 days.

Treatment options include:

Home Care

Your child may have trouble sleeping because of breathing difficulties. Moist air may help your child breathe easier. The following methods may help:

Use a cool humidifier in the bedroom.

Use your bathroom as a steam room. Bring your child into your bathroom and close the door. Turn the shower on the hottest setting. Sit in the steamy bathroom with your child. Your child's breathing should improve within 15-20 minutes.

Cool night air may also help. Sit with your child near an open window or step outside.

Make sure your child has plenty of fluids. Choose water and unsweetened juices.

Tracheotomy
—a surgical procedure to open the airway in children with severe breathing problems

Prevention

Croup usually occurs due to an upper respiratory infection. Take steps to decrease your child's chance of catching
colds
and
flu. Wash your hands often. Avoid contact with people who have cold or flu when possible.

Yearly
influenza immunization
can prevent cases of croup due to influenza A. Influenza immunization is strongly recommended for all children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years.

Revision Information

This content is reviewed regularly and is updated when new and relevant evidence is made available. This information is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with questions regarding a medical condition.

Croup. Family Doctor—American Academy of Family Physicians. website. Available at:
http://familydoctor.org/familydoctor/en/diseases-conditions/croup.printerview.all.html. Updated July 2013. Accessed September 17, 2014.

What is croup and how is it treated?
Healthy Children—American Academy of Pediatrics website. Available at:
http://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/chest-lungs/pages/Croup-Treatment.aspx. Updated July 23, 2014. Accessed September 17, 2014.